“I’ll be down in a minute.”
“Okay. Be quick about it because Shaun will be up here if you don’t.”
Every inch of her body tingled from head to toe as he turned to walk away. Then he paused and came back.
He stood beside her in the bathroom, a few inches between them as she looked up at him. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. I just realized we never said a proper hello. We have been riding this roller coaster of emotions since seeing each other again.”
Ronan’s arms were around her before she could refuse. The confusing comfort of his closeness, his warmth against her body, sent warning alarms off in her head. Following his lead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him.
“It’s so good to see you, Luna.”
“Same.” A musky, earthen scent wafted around them, infusing her senses with his masculine energy. She didn't want to let go as one second slipped into another. Turning slightly, she faced him, her lips pressed to his neck. It felt like coming home, being back in his arms again.
“I've missed you. Sorry about last night.”
“Me too.” She cleared her throat, feeling the tight rawness as he pulled back. She smiled. “I've missed you too, Ronan. I’m glad we're both home.”
A dizzy sensation rushed through her brain as she clutched at his shoulders. Whether it was fantasy or reality, she’d never know, but for all of two seconds, it felt like he wanted to kiss her.
Instinctively, she wet her lips as if expecting the feel of his against hers again. Her eyes lowered to admire his lips and then back up again.
Ronan smiled, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. “I feel like I’m in some crazy dream I never want to wake from.”
The warmth between them, the feel of his lips tenderly kissing her, added another element of confusion to her coffee-deprived mind.
“Well, if we were…” Shaun came around the corner, stopped dead in his tracks, with a broad smile on his lips. “Well, what have we here? I’ll give you a few minutes. By all means, take your time.” He chuckled and then backed away from the door.
Luna had to touch him. Her fingers clasped the soft cotton of Ronan’s shirt as he stared at her. Feeling anxiety pulsating through her body, a familiar but annoying emotion, she cleared her throat. “Well, I guess we should go.”
Her fingers rubbed against the softness lightly.
Ronan let his arms fall away, stepping back smoothly. “I swear that man can sense it. It was only when we went to the Caribbean that he had to leave us alone.”
She smiled. “Yes. I have to wonder what my sister saw in him back then. If she saw him now, she’d be shocked. He’s a force to be reckoned with, Ronan.”
“Maybe so, but he’s our best friend. Emma takes good care of him.”
Luna felt a twinge of regret that she’d not looked much after Shaun when Phoebe went missing. “He’s strong, but it had to have been hard for him to let her go. We both left him. The only one around at the time was Nicky, and then he met Emma. Thank God for her. She gave him love and life when he needed it most.”
Ronan smiled. “It was hard. I remember that when we first went to the Caribbean, he thought about joining us a few times. He was going to drag one of your father’s boats on the water and sail his way south to the islands. I remember a few phone calls he made to me, distraught and beside himself. She was his everything back then.”
“I know.”
Before long, Luna and Ronan were working on the boathouse and home. It felt good to really get her hands dirty as they fixed a few floorboards and the steps. The day was long, and after Jonah left with Shaun, it was just the two of them.
Nicky showed up in time for lunch wearing a pink painter’s suit. “I’m ready. What do you need me to do?” Her gum popped in her mouth as she looked from Ronan to Luna and back.
“Clean the chimney. The brush is right there.”
Her nose wrinkled up, and she made a funny face. “I don’t think so. I was hoping to maybe sweep a floor or two, although these are really expensive shoes. What about I just dust the furniture down here?”
Luna laughed. “That’s great, but all that dust is going to ruin your hair. You should have brought a hat or something.”
“What? And ruin this hairdo. Do you know how long it took me to get this right? Luna, how easily you forget all the work it takes for me to look like this. I was thinking of posting some pictures on social media of the work we were doing. Is that okay?”
Luna licked the last of the mayonnaise off her fingers after polishing off her sandwich. “I don’t mind. I have to get to work in twenty minutes, and I think I might walk.” She wiped her hands on a towel.
